McKINLEYVILLE -- She might have been one of the youngest players on the field, but Arcata freshman defender Vanessa Holland was cool under pressure when her team needed it the most.

Holland's goal line clearance midway through the second half not only kept the Tigers' shutout intact, but was one of the biggest reasons why Arcata topped Eureka 2-0 in the opening round of the North Coast Section playoffs on Wednesday night.

"That was the match right there," Arcata head coach Patrick Stranahan said without any kind of hesitation. "Eureka scores that goal, the momentum of the match would have changed completely."

With the victory, seventh-seeded Arcata (19-3 on the year) advances to the second round to face No. 2 seed Montgomery -- who are 17-2 this season and had a first-round bye -- on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Santa Rosa.

No. 10 seed Loggers end their season with an 11-6-1 record.

"That was probably the best game we've played (all season)," Eureka head coach Aron Duda said. "Defensively we changed a few things about how we played, and it worked well for us."

Arcata, who had recorded 5-1 and 5-0 wins over Eureka during its run to an undefeated league season, wasn't able to create any kind of separation until Hannah Hart-Pomerantz's goal in the 68th minute.

Up until that point, it was a clear defensive battle.

The Loggers' pressure not only limited the Tigers' scoring chances, but created things for themselves. And midway through the first half, Eureka had just as many shots as its opposition.

"Eureka was fierce," Stranahan said. "They changed their defensive shape and tried to throw us off our game."

The Tigers, however, opened the scoring in the 15th minute when Delaney Rice was able to put away a cross from the right wing after finding herself unmarked at the back post.

Logger Sophia Gallegos had a pair of chances in a two-minute span following the goal, first seeing her right-footed volley go over the crossbar and then a shot from the left wing saved by Tigers goalkeeper Madeline Hart-Pomerantz.

Arcata had one of its best scoring chances of the game five minutes into the second half. Senior striker Brooke Coelho got behind the Eureka defense and zipped down the left wing, but saw her shot by Eureka goalkeeper Allison Gibson.

"She's sacrificed her body every time we've played over and over again," Duda said of Gibson, who finished with four saves against the Tigers.

But just two minutes after Gibson's save, Holland made the save of the night.

Amidst a mad scramble for a loose ball in the Tigers' 18-yard box, Holland was able to slip back to the goal line a deny a shot from point-blank range to keep her team in the lead.

Seven minutes later, the Tigers got the two-goal lead it had been pushing for. Hart-Pomerantz controlled a free kick from Coelho at the top of the box and lofted a shot into the left side of the Eureka goal.

"Once they settled in and passed, they were amazing," Stranahan said. "I told them at halftime that when we're passing the ball, we're beautiful. All we needed to focus on was our passing."